What Does the Lord Require of Us in Micah 6:8?

To begin with, it helps to understand what Micah 6:8 means. One thing that is clear and true about this verse is the language. God is literally saying I have shown you what is good to do. This leaves no room for conjecture or excuses. However, the real challenge of this verse lies in what he says after that.

The instruction is to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. I challenge you to take a moment and meditate on what this verse means. When you let the truth of this verse sink into your heart, you will see this is no casual command. Let’s break it down to see what each one of these things mean.

To act justly means you will do what is morally right or fair. This is not just something you talk about, because it goes beyond mere words. This is also not something you can only require of others. To act justly is something you must commit to doing yourself. The challenge in this is committing to doing what is morally right and fair in every circumstance, even when it is not popular. While many may say yes with their mouth to this, I think we have seen the actions don’t always follow. 

To love mercy implies a joint loyalty and faithfulness to the love of God, which is demonstrated in a commitment to love others. The word mercy is from the Hebrew word hesed which implies a loyal commitment that flows out of love. This is what motivates God’s faithfulness to you and should be the reason you are faithful to him. One way this is demonstrated is how you love others.

To walk humbly is to walk carefully before God, being mindful of how you live before him. The one who walks humbly with the Lord does so modestly and without arrogance.

When you sum up this verse, it is a call to an active faith that is lived out with actions and interactions with others and not just with words. Here is how one Bible commentator, Kenneth L. Barker, summed up this verse:

“Thus this saying is not an invitation, in lieu of the gospel, to save oneself by kindly acts of equity and fairness…It was instead a call for the natural consequence of truly forgiven men and women to demonstrate the reality of their faith by living it out in the marketplace. Such living would be accompanied with acts and deeds of mercy, justice and giving of oneself for the orphan, the widow and the poor.”

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In Micah 6 God is speaking and he is making a case against the people of Israel. The question he asks them is found in verse three.

“My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me” (Micah 6:3).

God then proceeds to remind them of what he has done and how he has redeemed them from slavery in Egypt. In consideration of all the righteous acts the Lord has done on their behalf, how should the people of Israel respond? God disqualifies focusing on religious exercises. Here is how it reads in Micah 6.

“With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

(Micah 6:6-7).

What does God say to these questions? The answer is found in Micah 6:8 – to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. 

As Christians, it is very easy to get drawn into religious demonstrations and think these are the things God desires and what pleases him. What you discover is that God is not after people who look the part. He wants people that are the part, and this goes beyond outward symbols of faithfulness or allegiance. What God wants is genuine faith, which is demonstrated by your commitment to morality and fairness, being fully conscious and focused on the way you love others, and being dedicated to walk humbly with him. These things matter because they are the markers of those who are truly committed to him. It’s very similar to what Jesus said in John 13 about how the world will identify those who belong to him.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

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One of the main reasons the Lord requires this of us is because we represent him on the earth. Jesus calls us the light of the world and the salt of the earth which means the world is watching those who bear his name.

Considering this verse in Micah 6:8, my question to you is what image of Christ is your life painting? When we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God, we create a picture of Jesus that people want to learn more about. It doesn’t mean they are going to accept him, but at least they are usually willing to listen. When we don’t do these things, we create a picture of Jesus that people want nothing to do with, and we shut the door to people hearing anything we have to say.

What Does It Look Like for Us to Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with God?

There are many ways this can play out in your life, but to do these things I want to go back to an old saying that was popular years ago. What would Jesus do? (If you recall everyone was wearing those WWJD bracelets.) This command in Micah 6:8 lines up perfectly with what Jesus would do, and we should be applying this truth in every aspect of our lives. For example:

How would Jesus respond to the neighbor who is not hospitable?

How would Jesus treat someone who has a different political or religious worldview?

How would Jesus react to social issues that are prevalent today such as issues of race, discrimination, economic challenges, immigration?

How would Jesus respond to the child in your church who has autism and can’t sit still in the service?  

As you can see, these things are not always so easy to address. To live out this command means there will be times you may have to go against the grain, yet this is exactly what God is calling us to do. The commands in this verse call you to look and act differently than the rest of the world. God has told us what is good to do; we have to take up the mantle and be willing to do it, recognizing it may cost us something.

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Let’s tie this all together.

To be just is to be fair in all you do. To act justly means to be honest and tell the truth. It means you treat every person equally, hold them to the same standard, and not apply a different system of fairness to one person versus another.   This means you will do what is morally right even when it is not socially popular. 

To love mercy means you will respond in the situation the way God would. You will uphold his standard in the earth and view every situation through this lens. It means you will love people the way he loves them and care for people the way he cares for them. Especially those who are less fortunate.

To walk humbly with God means you are not only careful about your walk, but you recognize your position is a result of God’s grace and nothing else. Your walk with God should cause you to increase in humility, not become full of arrogance.

When you add it all up, this verse is about your character. One of the ways character is displayed is how you treat people who disagree with you, and how you treat people who can give you nothing in return. In Matthew Jesus talks about how easy it is to love those who love you back. That does not display character or fruit. How do you love those who choose not to love you back, or where there is no personal benefit from loving them? When you can do these things, you are fulfilling the challenge to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God. This is what God has shown us. Now let’s go do it. 

Source
Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 115.

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